The Lincoln Southwest graduate, a kicker who never saw a live snap in his Nebraska career, jogged toward Mike Riley with a smile on his face, and shared an embrace with Nebraska’s embattled head coach.
So it went on down the line as 21 Husker seniors and junior Thomas Connely were honored during pregame festivities at Memorial Stadium.
Some embraces were longer than others. Joshua Kalu smiled and shared a long hug with Riley. Some players were more emotional than others. Kieron Williams fought back tears. So did De'Mornay Pierson-El, the senior receiver who just minutes earlier fielded his final pregame punt in the north end zone and gave an emotional speech to his teammates while perched on their shoulders.